Sabah - Maiga island Photo

Photographer’s Note

This shot was taken from the boat as it approached the island in late afternoon sun. A workshop here to show perspective view.

Maiga island is about 1 hour boat ride off the coast of Semporna town in Sabah. Along the boat ride, you will see clear blue/green water and below it, the coral and sea weeds. The island has a small population of sea Bajau people who live in wooden houses built on stilts in water. They make a living off the sea.

When we landed in this island, it was late afternoon and very hot. Walking around the island's sandy beach takes about 50 minutes. During low tide, you can see the coconut trees along a clean stretch of sandy beach all around. Size of island - you can guess right?

The islanders are very friendly and simple people. I find the island very natural and unspoiled. It is simply fascinating that the world here is so much different, just 1 hour away from the mainland. You will get to see real basic human lifestyle, what could have been a long time ago. A very educational trip to see this island.

Thank you for viewing. Regards, Bill

p/s I thank Sabah's Rabani, Ramdan and Fadzil for meeting and bringing us around Kundasang, Ranau and Poring. Especially grateful to Rabani for his guides to places, in particular this Maiga Island.

ls7902, Greg1949, jusninasirun, Matthew-Watt, rabani, angela926, Ramdan, zhelach, snunney, mikolaj_kawa, azaf1, kpav, noborders, lilimih33, shevchenko, jafadabret, robob, cfreire has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ls7902 (6026) 2008-03-16 19:21

Hi Bill,
Lovely island ... a lot smaller that I had imagined. I like the shape of it with coconut palms filling the space & wide sandy beach on the right. The stilt houses show how small the island is ... 50 min to walk around it. Nice light blue/white color tones & saturation. Appealing composition giving much room to the sky. Best Regards. Latiff.

Greg1949 (8507) 2008-03-16 19:37

Nice shot, inspires the imagination...

Greg

jusninasirun (10074) 2008-03-16 19:50

Hello Bill. This is such a stunner. The sharpness of your optics is credible enough to see the sharpness og the architecture and I like the trees like they are being cultivated. Pristine clean landscape shot. Brilliant! Jusni

Matthew-Watt (4463) 2008-03-16 19:56

Hi Bill,

This photo is the true image in my mind of a tropical haven. The water appears so calm and seems to beckon a swim or snorkel. It always amazes me to see so much vegetation growing out of nutrient poor soil like this. I think a panoramic crop would have worked quite well in this instance, but this more full presentation does look appealing, especially with the growing storm clouds in the background. Those Bajau people must really live a peaceful and idyllic lifestyle in this part of the world. TFS!

Matt

rabani (9421) 2008-03-16 20:18

Either the island is getting smaller or the vegetation is. And so is the population. Before last year,There were more than 10 wooden stilt houses on the south beach of this island. It is as if most of them have left the island. Then again this is the nomadic Sea Bajaus. They can't sit still long enough to warm the seat.

Hoping to see more of your works on Sabah Bill. Need to see a different perspective of the things I have had taken. Just like this work of yours. You must have had taken this from the western side of the island. But there's something nagging me about the island. It's just "too small" for what I have remembered about the island.

Regards
Bani

angela926 (1882) 2008-03-16 20:48

Hello Bill,
Fantastic interesting shot, excellent composition and pov, beautiful colors and fantastic contrast, superb sharpness and depth of field, lovely peaceful atmosphere, great note!
Angela

Ramdan (117) 2008-03-16 21:14

Hi Bill,
Wooo... wonderful shot, Bill. A very nice pov to really bring out the dramatic mirror effect of the calm sea. The sky... very nice blue with a beautiful cloud formation on a side. The reflection... an icing on a cake. Very beautiful, Bill.
TFS,
Ramdan.

aadilj (17950) 2008-03-16 21:46

Wow, that a beautiful shot with such a wonderful perspective and a good low pov. I like the framing and the scene.

zhelach (3590) 2008-03-16 22:57

Hello Bill!
Beautiful POV and composition! Lovely place! Very nice natural colors and details! Good story!
TFS, Best regards, Zorica

devimeuxbe (55673) 2008-03-16 23:54

Hi Bill
Beautifull picture of this island kost on the ocean.
Excellent light
Well done
Bertrand

snunney (34060) 2008-03-17 1:26

Hello Bill,
A simple but very appealing composition of this tropical island. A nice atmosphere with a tranquil feeling to it. I like the layered effect and the tonal contrasts.

mikolaj_kawa (29366) 2008-03-17 1:36

Hello Bill! Amaizng island. Wonderful point of view. Oriiginal low horizon. Good lightness, very nice colors. Good capture. Good luck!

Paolo (40641) 2008-03-17 2:06

Hi Bill, fantastic one!
the POV close to the sea surface, and the dead water have a great effect with this small and magic island!
beautiful colours too, and good quality.
thanks, ciao

azaf1 (15541) 2008-03-17 3:48

Hi Bill
The island right in the middle is just superb! Dreamlike and simple
TFS
Argiris

atsouth (253) 2008-03-17 8:34

hi, v nice composition with the island at the bottom and the big sky, gives a sense of how remote and small the place is. i tried a ws.

regards

[workshop] [compare] +

kpav (5131) 2008-03-17 8:44

Hello Bill, excellent shot with very nice natural and relaxing colors. The composition is beautiful with the small island placed very nicely in the frame. Nice informative note too. Thanks for sharing. Greetings,
Kostas.

Miha2ou7 (4887) 2008-03-17 9:51

Hey there again Bill,

Another wonder of nature. A great composition, I like the redundant sky. It gives the sense of enormity, and the smallness of the (paradise) island. Beautiful.

See you around.

siamesa (12419) 2008-03-17 10:03

Hi Bill,
Amazing picture. When I was a children I dreamed to live in a island .This is perfect to make a dream real.
Regards
maria

noborders (14215) 2008-03-17 13:29

I like very much the framing for this one, the high sky is just great on top of this tiny island nicely reflected in the sea !
(WS photo shows us how isolated this island is, very useful too...)
Compliments,
Best regards,
Cath.

skippy007 (6799) 2008-03-17 16:40

Hello Bill,
What a beautiful well composed shot with excellent light & colours. It looks like a very peaceful atmosphere, well captured.
Regards
Santo

lilimih33 (9870) 2008-03-17 17:06

Hello Bill!
What a nice place and so much calm in your picture!
Nice colours!
Lovely composition!
Best regards!
Lili

molla (6875) 2008-03-18 3:27

hej Bill
such an icon over a tropical Island, with excellent comp and pleasant color cheme.
Im a bit curious about the framing ( how did you've tough?)
Anders

Bluejeans (31553) 2008-03-18 12:14

Ola Bill ,
Que beleza de ilha não está para venda ?(it´s for sale?), deve ser fantástico umas ferias ai longe de tudo e de todos , bonitos tons de azul , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

shevchenko (9746) 2008-03-18 21:31

Hi Bill,
Impressive lonely island fully cover by trees, distinct image and nice soft color, well done.
Ally

jafadabret (38927) 2008-03-19 2:52

Salut Bill.
Cette photo est superbe dans sa grande simplicité.
Une île dans l'immensité, entre mer et ciel.
On se prendrait pour un naufragé qui va enfin
trouver un bout de terre.
Jacques

robob (3640) 2008-03-19 5:29

Hello Bill,
Sûrement un havre de paix là-bas, le rêve !
Je trouve très jolies les petites maisons sur pilotis,
Excellent cadrage !
Amicalement et au plaisir,
Robert

cfreire (11647) 2008-03-22 9:41

Hi Bill
I've appreciated a lot this picture well captured with splendid colors, contrasts, depth and pov. I'm impressive with the white color of the island's sand. Beautiful work. Regards, Consuelo

sagar (2295) 2008-03-26 9:11

Hi Bill,
The isolated island should be dream place!!!! The view from far off and the beautiful sea around compliment each other wonderfully well!! Terrific view. Minimalistic but precious!!
Regards,
Sagarneel.

capthaddock (28640) 2008-04-02 16:36

The thumbnail wasn't promising, but the large version is a delight, id does seem unspoilt, and the light is not too bright, the WS version is nothing special though, I'm glad you selected this close crop.

Photo Information

Copyright: Am moving (trekks) (14260)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-03-10
Categories: Daily Life, Nature
Camera: Nikon D80, 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6GED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Ni, 2Gb SD, HOYA 67mm CIR-PL
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Travelogue: Trip to Sabah - Land below the wind
Date Submitted: 2008-03-16 18:58